In a conventional mail system that has been provided, E-mail (referred to simply as “mail” below) that has been sent from a communication terminal on the transmitting side via the Internet is stored by a mail server, and a communication terminal on the receiving side accesses the mail server via a public network and extracts the stored mail addressed to this terminal. Communications companies that have appeared recently provide mail-status notification services in which a communication terminal on the receiving side is notified of the fact that mail from a terminal on the transmitting side has arrived at a mail server (this notification shall be referred to as “mail notification”), or in which when mail is no longer being stored in a mail server as a result of the communication terminal on the receiving side having acquired the mail by accessing the mail server, the communication terminal on the receiving side is notified of the fact that mail is no longer present at the mail server (this notification shall be referred to as “no-mail notification”).
In a communication terminal already available on the market, the terminal originates a call automatically (this is generally referred to as a “dial-up connection”) upon receiving mail notification and then actually acquires the mail.
However, in case of a terminal that does not have a very large memory capacity provided as a so-called “inbox” for storing E-mail data, there are instances where, despite the arrival of newly received mail, there is not enough memory capacity available to store the mail. If a dial-up connection is made automatically in response to receipt of mail notification in such case, the terminal will be billed for a communication fee irrespective of the fact that mail cannot actually be received. As a consequence, the user must bear the cost.